President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to restarting Cyprus settlement talks within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions, as they met in Athens ahead of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ visit to the island next week.

Speaking before their meeting at the Maximos Mansion, Mitsotakis said Greece would continue to stand firmly alongside Cyprus and stressed that neither country would deviate from the UN framework for resolving the Cyprus issue.

“We fully support your initiatives for a meaningful resumption of negotiations, always within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Mitsotakis said. “This is a position from which Greece and Cyprus will never depart.”

He described the timing of the meeting as particularly significant, pointing to heightened tensions in the wider region and renewed diplomatic activity on Cyprus.

Mitsotakis said that Guterres would visit Cyprus next week for the first time in almost two decades for a UNSG, adding that the current momentum created a sense of urgency.

“If real progress is to be made, now is the time to explore the possibilities,” he said, pledging Greece’s continued support for Christodoulides during the upcoming discussions.

The Greek prime minister also highlighted the two countries’ cooperation on civil protection, noting that Greece had deployed two firefighting aircraft to Spain as wildfires continue to affect parts of southern Europe.

Christodoulides said the government’s strategy had succeeded in generating renewed international interest in the Cyprus issue after years of diplomatic stagnation.

“The actions we have taken, the strategy we have followed and our political will have led to this international interest,” he said, referring to Guterres’ visit and increased European Union engagement.

He said it was now widely recognised that the Cyprus problem is also a European issue, pointing to the appointment of a European Commission executive vice-president as the bloc’s special representative for Cyprus as evidence of the EU’s growing involvement.

The president said his objective was for next week’s visit by the UNSG to produce tangible progress towards restarting negotiations from where they broke down in Crans-Montana in 2017.

“We have the political will and we have a clear plan,” Christodoulides said. “Our aim is not only to resume negotiations but ultimately, after 52 years since the Turkish invasion and occupation, to achieve the reunification of Cyprus.”

He also revealed that he had received an initial briefing following Friday’s meeting between the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin and Turkey’s foreign minister, saying the two leaders would discuss the latest developments during their talks.

Following their private meeting, the two leaders held expanded discussions with members of their respective government delegations.